U-High had a big statement win today in their week 3 match-up against Catholic High at Memorial Stadium. The Cubs were able to beat the Bears in overtime, 27-21 in a great game that provided a much needed boost of momentum for this team going into next week. U-High now sits at 2-1 on the season while Catholic is now 1-1.
In this high level match-up between two stacked teams, we saw the Catholic Bears go up to a quick 14-0 lead in the first quarter. However, the Cubs were able to continue to fight and score 21 unanswered points throughout the first three quarters after that. Key contributions from players such as Ethan Kimmie, who had an outrageous Touchdown in the first than set the tone for the team after that, and Emile Picarella, who maintained his composure at QB despite the early lead and played a big role in the teams play after that with clutch passes.
Much credit given to U-High, they could have accepted the early first quarter deficit and allow it to get worse, but they were able to lock in and take their game to an even higher level. This is big, as this was one of the biggest and most covered games in the state this week.
U-High were able to stick to their physical game plan throughout the game. In the 2nd half, we saw a slowed down, gritty, and heavily defensive centered form of football from both teams. Through all 4th quarter though, the energy in the stadium was electric. The atmosphere felt like a college game day and you can tell how much this game and this rivalry meant to both teams.
Late in the 4th quarter, the Bears were able to score a crucial, game tying touchdown from Jayden Miles to tie the score at 21-21. After this, U-High was okay with letting the clock expire and taking the game to overtime. As overtime started, they scored immediately. As they were looking to go up 28-21, they missed the extra point and had to trust their defense to get a big stop. Multiple penalties halted Catholic’s next drive and the Cubs were able to get an interception to seal the game away in overtime in an instant classic.
After the game, I was able to talk to Coach Martin about the game.
“Started out slow, but I felt like we really recovered well. We did a great job of finishing and that’s what it’s all about. It’s not about how you start the game, it’s how you finish it and I felt like we finished it.”
Coach Martin when asked how he thought his team played
“Try to be physical, we felt like we want to be physical up front. They have one of the best defensive backfields in the state, its no doubt about it, so we knew that throwing would be tough and we were able to get a few on them which was awesome. Then we ran the ball well enough and our defense played well enough to win it.”
Coach Martin when asked what was the gameplan
“We got to keep getting better, this isn’t the end of our season, it’s just a week for us. Next week, we have 24 hours, we watch film, and get ready for the next opponent. I just hope that we continue to work the way we did this week and if we do, we’re going to be a tough outing.”
Coach Martin when asked what can we expect to see next week
In totality, this was a great game from both teams that the Cubs were able to come out victorious from. As we look into next week, U-High Cubs look to carry their momentum at home against the 0-3 Collegiate Dolphins. Meanwhile, Catholic looks to rebound as they host 2-1 West Monroe.
Below are a couple more photos that I took from the game.
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